Mom made a lot of sacrifices for my brother and I so we could play sports. There were times the electric bill wasn't paid or we ate lots of pasta. I didn't appreciate it so much then, but I'm thankful every day to her for that now.

As someone who has avidly watched and followed football for years, I failed to grasp the severity of the many injuries. I ignored the commentators and analysts who believed that football needed to get safer.

Our overarching challenge as people who care about sports and the young people involved in them is to confront and overcome the win-at-all-costs (WAAC) and profit-at-all-costs (PAAC) mentalities that are resulting in a variety of insidious abuses in our little leagues and high schools.

The twin-engine Piper Navajo touched down -- and then the left landing gear folded, according to King Salmon airport manager Kyler Hylton, who stood watching with a fleet of fire trucks and ambulances as the aircraft approached.

I'm a far better person because I was a runner in high school. Because I was dedicated to a pursuit that valued and rewarded camaraderie, strength and willpower. Because I was part of a team that saw me at my best and my worst.

I loved the sport, and I wanted to improve. Thinking of others' impressions only hampered that goal, I realized. All I needed to focus on was myself, and the other things -- the things out of my control -- would naturally play out.